At first, Talogan believed he had the wrong chest. The key didn't seem to work. The chest wasn't opening. Just as he was about to give up though, it finally clicked into place and the chest unlocked. Still wary of any potential tricks or traps, Talogan opened the chest with care and raised a curious eyebrow at what he saw inside. A large egg of some sort that was covered in a strange membrane and nested in fake hay was what the chest contained. Talogan had a feeling a similar egg was in the other chest, as well as similar security measures. Vials of alchemist's fire had been placed above the lock in a way that would cause them to break if the lock was tampered with or the chest was forced open. If he wanted this chest opened without anything inside being burnt to ashes, Talogan would have to get someone good with thieves' tools to deal with both the lock and the trap.

"Is that some sort of monster egg captain?" Talogan heard Oliver ask.
"It does seem to be so, Mr Collins." Talogan replied, sensing the unease of his crew from the mere sight of a strange egg and wondering why he was paying them the amount he was paying them.
"It's definitely an egg belonging to some sort of sea creature, but I can't say I know what." Talogan heard Nyx say. "Why were the elves carrying something like this?"
"If I had to guess, this egg might be a sea lion's." Talogan heard Tayang say. "Sea elves are known for raising them for their nobility and such, same as you would a hunting hound. Raising one from infancy will make sure it's loyal to it's master, might even come from a good breed too. Of course, we don't know what's in it until it hatches."
"Indeed so, Mr Iron Guts." Talogan said as he carefully shut the chest. "For now, all we can do is keep it safe until whatever's in there is ready to come out. [i]And not be so unsettled by it in the meantime[/i]."

Rising to his feet, Talogan began to issue commands to his crew. "Alright!" Talogan called out "You may all have an hour to rest, then it's time to get back to work! You've earned a break, but we've still got a ways to go until we arrive at Red Shard! Mr Collins! Mr Hector! Stow these chests in the cargo hold before you rest, and handle them with care as you do! Mr Johnathan! Before you rest, strike the Colors and run a Flag of Convenience up the mast in its stead! I don't want to draw any unwanted attention from pirate hunters while hauling this prize to Red Shard!" Having finished speaking, Talogan let his men get to their errands or resting. He ascended the bridge and struck up a conversation with Kulee and Nyx, learning a little more about sea lions from Nyx in doing so. After he was done talking, Talogan went to spend his hour of rest in the captain's quarters. There he washed the bloodstains from his coat, inspected his gear for any signs of wear and tear, and indulged in his favorite pastime other than piracy: Composing sea shanties. Since taking up the hobby back during his days serving in another man's crew, Talogan had composed 17 sea shanties. All of them were about piracy and violent battles on the high seas. None of them were sung by any on the ship other than himself though, as they were all written in goblin and only he knew the language.